I think I get in enough trouble on my own, but when I saw Jets beat writer RichCimini's story in the Saturday New York Daily News involving my ranking of the top 500 players, I choked on my Cheerios. It said Belichick was quoted in my story as saying of Jets safety Kerry Rhodes (ranked 29th) and Buffalo tackle Jason Peters (39th), "Neither of those guys could make my team.'' Cimini informed Rhodes of the quote and wrote: "To tweak Rhodes ... is really just a shot at the entire team ... Another subplot for an already juicy rivalry.'' One problem: Belichick never said it. And I never reported he said it. What I wrote in the story about how I arrived at my rankings: "I decided I wouldn't make a significant change unless two people whose judgment I trust could make persuasive arguments. Most told me I was loony to have Rhodes ranked in the 20s and Peters in the 30s. I believe Rhodes comes closest to Ed Reed (12), the best impact safety in the game, and I believe Peters, a converted tight end, will be an All-Pro within two years. So I wouldn't move them down even if Belichick called and said, 'Neither of those guys could make my team.'" Geez. And you wonder sometimes why guys like Belichick treat us like vermin. The Daily News did use a retraction Sunday, which is only right, but that doesn't fix everything. In Sunday's Florida Times Union, for instance, the NFL column used a Belichick quote, as though it was a quote he actually said. 6. I think I'm not surprised I haven't heard back from the Jets yet on the story. I called the Jets on Saturday and said I'd like to speak with Rhodes to tell him Belichick never said what was reported. As of this morning, I haven't gotten a call back. I don't expect one either. Why would they allow Rhodes to call me back? Why lessen his motivation, stoked even higher by what he thinks is Belichick's colossal dis, by letting him hear the truth? Coaches -- Belichick, Eric Mangini, even high school coaches -- love to motivate their players any way possible, even when they know that something they're using either isn't true or probably isn't true.
I usually don't like what King has to say, but he's refreshingly honest here. However, I don't think the Jets are trying to use this as motivation, I just think they're weary about having their players too involved in the media. I bet if it was any other national journalist calling for one of their stars, they probably wouldn't get a call back anytime soon either...
Cimini is an idiot. King's original article was completely clear in that Bellicheck never actually said that.
The only reason King is pissed off is because Cimini's mistake involved his beloved Patriots coach. If the misquote by Cimini had been about the head coach of any other team, King would not have been all over this like he is in this situation...
Are you bleeping serious? Please send me the link where King says that he wouldn't be involved if your Cimini scenario would apply.. Thanks..
King is a long time luster of all things Patriots. If Cimini had mis-quoted something King said about the coach of say the Bengals, my strong hunch is he wouldn't have covered it in a Monday Morning Quarterback blog, so yes, I am bleeping serious...
I agree with you, King performs cunnilingus on Belly and the rest of the Pats FO. If it had been any other organization involved King would likely have not been so quick to respond. And before you write that I wrote the wrong act ..... I know exactly what I wrote.
I tell ya one thing. Belichick was at a dinner years ago when someone approached him saying how the Jets had a bright future based on they have a good QB and he said, "they do?" Man was he on that one. He knew Pennington couldn't throw, even back then. That's why that guy wins.
When I saw that, I said, Cimini got something wrong - there's no way Belichick said that. It's just so far out of the range of possibility that it's not even motivational.
I bet any amount of money that Belichick and Peter King did this for fun. This is their conversation with PK head bobbing up and down,"Hey Peter print this and than we can deny it to distract the Jets best player and/or get a beat writer to bite." ........... PK, Just nods because he can not talk at the moment...................... Instead of wack a mole it is like wack a hack.
Obviously King thinks alot of the Jets also. He put a couple of their young up and comers in the top 40 of players in the NFL. He says that he'd blow BB off if he didn't agree with him. Doesn't sound like ulterior motive to me. Sounds like a guy who doesn't want his reputation messed with by some "beat writer" who can't read. King also thinks Pennington is gonna lose his job sooner rather than later. I agree.
Oh please. This is ridiculous. I know you guys like to fantasize that Peter King is a huge Pats fan, but this is a silly thing for you to post. Peter King - and ANY journalist - is rightfully p.o.'d by another writer totally misleading people about HIS (King's) own work in such a humungously inappropriate and lazy fashion. This was a monumentally bad move by Cimini and he's getting pilloried for it, as well he should be. It's only natural that the writer of the original piece would take offense, no matter who the coach in question may be.
